Stories about Women & Gender from December, 2006
China: Beijing bloggers drop the ball?
There's been a lot of response to police in the southern city of Shenzhen‘s decision late last month to put two hundred men and women arrested in connection with prostitution on display in the middle of a major intersection for public humiliation. For most bloggers, the questions an act like...
India: To be fair
The Straitjacket Diaries is rather annoyed with adverts run by fairness cream companies. “I mean, we're all supposed to buy that if a woman isn't possessed of a flawless, clear, peaches-n-cream, FAIR complexion, she is to be denied everything good in life, like a career and marriage and dates?”
India: Staring Back
Blank Noise Project compiles some testimonies from participants at a recent intervention aimed at increasing awareness about and combating sexual harassment on streets in a railway station in Mumbai. “At first, I found myself reflexively looking away when a man caught my eye. But once I got used to the...
Malaysia: Strict Dress Code
The Swanker blogs about imposition of strict islamic dress code on non-Muslims in Malaysian city of Kota Baru. “But I strongly doubt whether such laws would be acceptable in the rest of the country. And developments like these can only serve to polarise Malaysia's Muslims – between those that believe...
Qatar: Women's Volleyball at Asian Games
Women's volleyball attracts a crowd in Qatar, John B. Chilton said.
Philippines: Subic Rape Verdict
Torn and Frayed in Manila looks at the Subic rape verdict in which an US Marine Lance Corporal was found guilty by a Philippines court of raping a local woman November last year.
Saudi Arabia: Women Rights
About 50% of women in Saudi Arabia own cars, yet they can't drive them!
Barbados: Quinn-Leandro elected President of Inter-American Commmission of Women
Today's installment of Gallimaufry‘s “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” highlights the election of Antigua and Barbuda's Dr. Jacqui Quinn-Leandro as President of the Inter-American Commission of Women.
South Korea: prostitution debate
Robert Koehler from Marmot's Hole blogs about the debate on eradication of prostitution in South Korea.
India: Dignity and Sanitary Napkins
Cuckoo's Call on making sanitary napkins for women more affordable. “The key challenge is to design an appropriate product and define the manufacturing technology and business model. I would prefer localised production across the country, with poor women in villages and urban slums securing gainful employment from this.”
Arabisc: Asian Games, Democracy and Models
Why was there no celebration of the Arab heritage in the opening of the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, and what is the relationship between democracy and models and why is an Egyptian blogger asking his readers to watch award-winning movie Good Night and Good Luck? These are some of...
Guyana: Woman President in the Offing?
The Guyana Groove republishes an article from the Kaieteur News suggesting that Guyana could be in line for a woman President in the not-too-distant future.
Pakistan: Girls, you should know the first kalma
All Things Pakistan looks at some lines of poetry written on the back of a bus with initial amusement and then with a slight sense of horror. The post and the comments discuss expectations from Pakistani women. “Roughly translated, it says: Girls these days are so proud of their beauty....
Russia: Abortion Politics
In response to the grim economic situation, abortion was made legal in the Soviet Union in 1920. From 1936 to 1955 – under Joseph Stalin and until after his death – abortion was outlawed. In today's Russia, according to some data, abortions outnumber live births; for many women, abortion is...
